BU to Host Professional Development Program for Math, Science, Technology Teachers

March 27, 2012

Binghamton, NY – Binghamton University will host a free half-day professional development program for grades 6 – 12 math, science and technology teachers on Saturday, Apr. 28, in the Engineering and Science Building located at the Innovative Technologies Complex on Murray Hill Road in Vestal.

Activities begin at 8:30 a.m. including opening remarks by Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo (D-Endwell), who serves as chair of the Legislative Commission of Science and Technology. The program will include tours of the Engineering and Science Building to showcase the facility’s LEED energy-saving features, which also demonstrate the real-world integration and application of math, science and technology (MST). Attendees will then be able to participate in workshops that will focus on how to incorporate real-world engineering applications used in LEED-certified building design into their curricula to model the integration of MST concepts and practices. The program will also include opportunities for MST teachers to engage with Binghamton University faculty and staff who work with college freshmen engineering students.

A presentation by Binghamton University’s Mike Elmore, director of the Engineering Design Division (EDD), and Koen Gieskes, engineering lab coordinator, titled “Bridging the HS–College Freshmen Engineering Divide: Integrating MST in Engineering Education,” will discuss how to assist students in the crucial transitional period from high school to college. Both Elmore and Gieskes are also Binghamton University alumni.

Event organizers hope the Apr. 28 program will be the start of an ongoing partnership between local MST teachers and Binghamton University engineering faculty to align with national efforts to implement research-informed curriculum standards, including the Common Core-Mathematics and Next Generation Science Standards.

To register for the event, e-mail name, school district, subject and grade currently teaching to Bonnie Cornick at bcornick@binghamton.edu. For more information please contact my district office at 607-723-9047.

The program is sponsored by Binghamton University’s Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science; the Graduate School of Education; and the Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology Education. Additional sponsorship provided by Assemblywoman Lupardo, the Southern Tier and central sections of state MST teacher associations, including the Association of Mathematics Teachers of New York State (AMTNYS); the Science Teachers Association of New York State (STANYS); and the New York State Technology & Engineering Educators Association (NYSTEEA).